Nope, no writing done over the 3 day weekend. Tragic. This is what I’ve got to get better at as a writer who wants to be “professional.” Yes, I had another real-world “project” that I was working on (changing rooms in my house), but it doesn’t take that long to do 250 words. I just didn’t want to go through the hassle of setting up the computer for just 20-30 mins of writing–but the cost to that was, no writing done at all. 250 * 6 days = 1,500 words. I one week, I could, if I could get my act together, essentially finish a “section” of a short story, or the basic “outline” of a chapter. So the word I used above is actually something I need to tell myself when I don’t get my 250 words in–tragic.

Finally Saw Thor Ragnarok

Okay, so over the Memorial Day Weekend here in the U.S., my family and I gathered together after the holiday dinner to watch Thor Ragnarok. I have to say upfront that it was a fun experience–it isn’t the best Marvel movie that I ever seen, but it also isn’t the worst. I guess that’s what, after having a night to sleep on it, I would say–it was a solidly fun experience. Unlike Star Wars, which at the moment that I write this, is having a “moment” (and not in a good way as Kathleen Kennedy seems determined to remake the brand into something that she wants and not something that the fans want), Marvel movies know what they’re audiences want: quite a bit of action, some humor (quips and some physical comedy), characters having to some (light) soul-searching, an inventive and eventful ending, and (a bit) of moral relevance (theme) and they’re golden. This is what Thor Ragnarok delivers to its audience. Is it flashy, like say Civil War or Winter Soldier? No. But is it good? Yes, yes it is.

God of Humor

So, the comedic elements in this one are super strong. Whether they be visual gags, banter and quips, or downright physical humors, a lot (but not all) of Thor Ragnarok is played for laughs. I happened to have liked that, but if you’re looking for (or liked) the grim seriousness of Thor The Dark World, then you’ll need to look elsewhere because they play this strictly as an action-comedy. When there’s action, there’s a lot of it, but when there’s no action on the screen, they’re either setting up a joke or actually paying off a joke. There’s very little else here, although to be fair, there is quite a bit of light character development of Thor, Loki, Hulk/Banner, and the new character, the Valkyrie, whose name wasn’t really used all that often in the movie, but who both Thor & Loki recognized as a Valkyrie, so that’s (at the moment) how I remembered her character.

Not the Worst, but Not the Best

Again, I have to say that I really liked this movie quite a bit, but based on the high praise that it was given by some of the reviews when it released, I’m a little surprised that it wasn’t a stronger movie. I suppose when you get right down to it, this may have to do more with me and my expectations than the movie itself. While I like comedies and like to laugh (who doesn’t), my favorite genre is action. While there’s no denying that Thor Ragnarok does have action set-pieces, for the most part, this one lent itself to comedy (think the comedy sketch of Thor sitting out Civil War that made the rounds on YouTube last summer, and you’ll have an idea of what the creators of Thor Ragnarok were going for).

Having just re-watched this vignette, I just realized that they referenced the “email” joke in this vignette in Thor Ragnarok, so this is very much a “tone-piece” for the movie. If you like this vignette, then you’ll probably like Thor Ragnarok very much. I was mildly amused by this, so while I really liked the movie, it probably won’t make it into my Top 5 Marvel movies. Not to say it isn’t good, but I feel there are other Marvel movies that are stronger.

Overall Grade: B (Above Average)

My take: Hey, it’s a Marvel movie. They’d have to really misfire (Thor Dark World) to get much less (Marvel gets me as a fan in a way that Kathleen Kennedy and the “new” Star Wars doesn’t seem to anymore). I love what they are doing right now. Even the movies that I feel are perhaps “weaker” entries in the Universe are still above the quality of many other movies of competing franchises. My mother said the movie was better than she expected it be based on the other Thor movies and my step-father laughed all the way through, and myself was at least amused through most of it, but sat up and took notice through the extended action sequences. This was, while not my favorite Marvel movie, still one that I would gladly re-watch anytime.